Avoid 19-rated content

Chapter 6

As the cloth fell, a slightly faded painting was revealed. It was a family portrait, featuring a man dressed in a black uniform adorned with a gold insignia, a woman draped in a fur coat, and a child who seemed to be around four or five years old, all looking expressionless towards the viewer.

I examined the child closely, with silver-gray hair that almost resembled silver, and eyes with a hint of gold, except brighter. Aside from the hair color, this was undoubtedly Khan Alexis.

His parents died early in an accident.

Apart from the hair color, Khan closely resembled his mother. All three individuals in the painting had striking beauty, and the aged feel of the artwork added a somewhat eerie atmosphere. Besides that, I couldn't find anything specific to discover in this painting.

Maybe this is not it...

I bent down again to cover the painting with the cloth. However, I was taken aback when I saw a black boot standing right behind me.

"Ahh!"

Surprised, I screamed, and as I turned, there was Khan Alexis, the owner of the black boots, looking down at me with a cold expression. His eyes glared fiercely.

"What are you doing here?"

"Uh, well, I, I just took the wrong path and..."

Khan averted his gaze from me, who was obviously making excuses, and his eyes were now fixed on the painting.

[Khan Alexis's Affection -1]
[Khan Alexis's Affection -1]
[Khan Alexis's Affection -1]

Oh, damn it...

I staggered backward, unable to regain my composure, as the notification window continued to appear frantically before me. It seemed like it might fade away or disappear if I stepped back, but naturally, that didn't happen, and Khan's face only twisted more menacingly.

"Tell me why you were looking at this painting."

In the blink of an eye, he reached out and grabbed my throat, pushing me against the wall.

Thud.

My back hit the wall, producing a terrifying sound.

"Cough!"

My breath caught, and my vision blurred. I desperately struggled, trying to pry Khan's hand off my throat.

[Warning: If the male protagonist's affection falls below 0, you will encounter a 'Death' ending!]

What? Why mention it now?!

Well, even without an explanation, it made sense when I thought about it. After all, the reward for this quest was an affection increase of 10, and the penalty was death. The contrasting criteria were centered around affection. Essentially, this quest (or perhaps all quests) was a relationship-building event.

I blinked nervously, confirming the text hovering above Khan's head.

[Khan Alexis/Duke/Master of Tears/Affection 0]

His affection level was now back to 0. If it dropped by just one more point, I would meet my end at his hands. My head began to spin. The fear of death gripped me, suffocating me, but I had to do something. I needed to show some expression, say something.

"F-Family... I-I miss my family."

A strained, metallic sound escaped my tired throat. Khan looked at me with an unchanged expression, as if urging me to explain further. The grip on my throat loosened slightly. I seized the opportunity and began to speak.

"Father or... mother... either of them, I miss them so much. It looks like a family photo, no, like a family portrait..."

I rambled on, speaking whatever came to mind.